Qatar World Cup: how easy is it to drive from UAE to Doha?


Nick Webster
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Football fans in the UAE are counting down the days until the start of the Qatar World Cup in November.

Supporters desperate to be part of the global sporting spectacle are already plotting their routes, with nine months still to go.

Some could be priced out of flying into Doha, however.

Average flight prices from Dubai to Doha have surged from around Dh1,200 to Dh5,000 for the month-long tournament – making air travel an expensive option for those using the Emirates as a satellite base.

We are currently drafting a specialist product for this with insurance companies to make it available to World Cup fans who want to drive to Qatar
Soham Shah,
SelfDrive UAE

So, could a road trip be a more affordable option?

Those with an adventurous streak and passion for the beautiful game might well consider driving the 695-kilometre desert route from Dubai to Doha or 588km journey from Abu Dhabi.

Check latest Covid-19 rules

Current border restrictions require proof of vaccination and a negative PCR test for both countries, although that could change by November.

Supporters hoping to make their way to the tournament by road are advised to monitor the latest Covid-19 developments.

There's not a lot between the cities, so stop-offs are few and far between.

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Planning and preparation can limit potential problems, and visas for Saudi Arabia and Qatar are easy to obtain.

Hamad Mohammed, a photographer in Bahrain who regularly drives to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in his Nissan Patrol, knows the route well.

“The roads are very good, and the route 10 between both borders is often used by supercars without any problems or surprises because it is so good,” said Mr Mohammed.

“Even if there are roadworks or construction, you get well warned in advance.

GCC-wide insurance cover

“It is mostly three lane highway, occasionally two lanes and sometimes there will be four so it is straightforward.

“I’ve done the journey in summer, and it is surprisingly cooler in the desert so even then it is a nice drive.”

With an average speed of 120 kilometres per hour, Mr Mohammed said the journey can be done comfortably within seven hours. He paid about Dh190 for three months of GCC-wide vehicle insurance.

Most of the route, around 400km, is completed in the UAE, with four-lane highways continuing on the E11 towards the border crossing at Ghuwaifat.

Apply in advance for visas

Crossing the border into Saudi Arabia poses the first challenge for football fans choosing to drive, as they must have third-party insurance to cover them for the GCC.

Visas to enter Saudi and Qatar are required, but can be applied for online in advance.

However, one vehicle insurance broker said few companies provide GCC coverage to include third-party for tourists – the minimum requirement to drive in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

“We're still assessing how this would be implemented properly region-wide given the complexity of Covid and GCC country-relations,” one insurer said.

“Hopefully in a few more weeks, we would be in a better position.”

In September 2017, a royal decree in Saudi Arabia granted women the right to drive and obtain driving licences. On June 24, 2018, Saudi women took to the road for the first time in 30 years.

Since then British architect Dawn Wadsworth has made the journey from Dubai to the Qatar border with Saudi Arabia several times for work, most recently just two weeks ago in her Toyota Prado.

“We were driving in Saudi for a couple of weeks so chose to insure the car for the whole year, which only cost an extra Dh500 on our existing insurance,” she said.

“To buy insurance at the border it costs around 200 Saudi Riyal (Dh200) for 15 days, if people are going over just for a couple of days it will be cheaper.

"The border crossing was simple enough, as it was empty but for a couple of cars but it still took almost two hours to get through.

“You wonder if they are prepared for large numbers of people who may drive across the border once the World Cup is on.”

Dubai-based architect Dawn Wadsworth photographed in Saudi Arabia near Riyadh. The Briton regularly drives from the UAE to the Saudi border with Qatar. Photo: Dawn Wadsworth
Dubai-based architect Dawn Wadsworth photographed in Saudi Arabia near Riyadh. The Briton regularly drives from the UAE to the Saudi border with Qatar. Photo: Dawn Wadsworth

Border inspections at the crossing with Saudi Arabia at Ghuwaifat can take up to two hours on busy days.

Officials require travellers to exit their vehicles to present their passports and visa documents. A full vehicle check is also completed by customs officers.

The process is similar at the border with Qatar in Salwa, around 120km from the UAE crossing.

Few rental firms allow GCC travel but there are options

Another hurdle supporters may have to contend with is the availability of hire cars.

Few rental companies allow vehicles to be driven from the UAE to Qatar, but one that does is SelfDrive UAE.

Soham Shah, chief executive of SelfDrive UAE, said plans were being prepared to make it easier for tourists to hire cars and drive them into Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

“We are currently drafting a specialist product for this with insurance companies to make it available to World Cup fans who want to drive to Qatar,” he said,

"Not all nationalities have the privilege of crossing the land border so it is important people plan ahead.”

Ms Wadsworth says football fans hoping to make the trip during the World Cup should be well prepared and plan ahead. Photo: Dawn Wadsworth
Ms Wadsworth says football fans hoping to make the trip during the World Cup should be well prepared and plan ahead. Photo: Dawn Wadsworth

SelfDrive can provide a range of vehicles, from budget motors to high end luxury vehicles.

It also has eight-seat SUVs for hire to make it easier for fans looking to travel together.

Mr Shah said his company was working on providing special insurance packages for rentals that will look after passengers as well as the driver in all three countries.

“It can be done, but it largely depends on the nationality of the passport holders and their visa conditions,” he said.

“People don’t want to drive 400km and then get turned away at the border.”

Car rental company Sixt said despite not offering cross-border journeys, the potential high demand for them during the World Cup means they are in talks to make this an option for its customers.

"Currently, neither one-way rentals, with customers renting a vehicle in the UAE and dropping it off in Qatar, nor cross-border journeys from the UAE to Qatar are allowed as part of our terms and conditions," said a spokesperson.

"However, we expect an increasing demand for travel options to the country for the World Cup later in 2022.

"SIXT puts its customers’ wishes at the centre of its actions, therefore we are working with our local partners to include journeys from the UAE to Qatar as part of our offering."

To register a visit to Qatar by road, motorists can visit the Ehteraz government portal.

The portal for arrivals at the land border with Saudi Arabia is the Muqeem site, where arrivals can register their vaccination status.

While you're here
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Norway v Spain, Saturday, 10.45pm, UAE

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Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

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Founded: 2013

Based: Egypt, Cairo

Sector: IT

Employees: 100

Stage: Series A

Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors

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MATCH INFO

Champions League quarter-final, first leg

Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)

Match on BeIN Sports

UAE tour of the Netherlands

UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

TOURNAMENT INFO

Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November

UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

Updated: March 20, 2022, 5:27 AM